APPLIED DIGITAL LEARNING JOURNEY&BLOG
Innovate, Teach, Iterate
Action Research
Making a decision on what to choose for my action research topic was the first step in this process. I chose to focus on reading in a blended learning environment with IStation as the adaptive technology because that is what I use at my current campus. Choosing an action research that would have an impact on student learning outcomes as well as an area that I wanted to improve on and to reflect on my craft was important. After thoughtfully choosing, I mapped out how I would conduct the action research. To help me with this endeavor I read Action Research, Improving Schools and Empowering Educators by Craig A. Mertler. This was an excellent guide where I was introduced to the four stages of action research:
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Step 1: Identifying and Limiting the Topic
Step 2: Gathering Information
Step 3: Reviewing the Related Literature
Step 4: Developing a Research Plan
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With this knowledge and advice I proceeded to create an outline you can view here.
What Does the Literature Say?
Researching and gathering information was the second step in the process. I found very relevant and specific literature for the review. Reviewing the literature was informative. In one case study, I saw how a classroom teacher
conducted her action research on blended learning using a station rotation model. After reading how she conducted student focus groups, I decided to add focus groups to my action research plan. I garnered some great ideas from other educators implementing blended learning. There was also a specific study on IStation, the adaptive reading program I am using. I'm grateful for all of the research of other educators. Overall, this was a very successful portion of the process. I learned so much and I see myself going back to reference the research again through out the process. It helped tremendously when making the plan. Without the research, the plan would not be as effective.
Sharing resources was another helpful part of the process. We were able to share our resources on the discussion board. This literature review explores the benefits of a station rotation model, specifically focusing on how an adaptive reading program can impact student outcomes at the elementary level.
You can read the literature review here.
Action Research Plan
The purpose of this action research plan is to examine how a station rotation model can personalize learning and increase student outcomes. This research will show insight on how using adaptive technology and personalizing small group instruction combined in a station rotation model will impact student learning.
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The fundamental research question is:
How can adaptive technology combined with personalized small group instruction work together in a blended learning, station rotation model to differentiate instruction and increase student outcomes in a third-grade reading and writing classroom?
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You will find the specific details on the quantitative and qualitative data I will collect. The action research plans is a detailed plan with a timeline. It contains the google form Likert scale I will use as a student questionaire, the questions I will use in the focus groups, a screenshot of IStation data view, and the campus based assessments that can be found in Eduphoria.